Footwear and artificial-leather upper material therefor



April 2, 1929. w, JENKS 1,707,480

AL LEATHER UPPER MATERIAL THEREFOR FOOTWEAR AND ARTIFICI Filed Sept. 20, 1928 Thin pyroxylin coating Colored and grained as dash-ed.

Fine count sheeting.

Rubber cement.

V Moleskin tengeled Fo'ce" Exposed and colored as dasired.

WiHium H. JenKs- Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

UNITED, I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HENRY JENKS, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T L. C. CHASE &. COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COPARTNERSHIP.

FOOTWEAR AND ARTHICIAL-LEATHER UPPER MATERIAL THEREFOR.

Application filed September 20, 1928. Serial No. 307,125.

' This invention has to do with a construc-' tion of footwear such as shoes and particularly such as slippers and with an artificial leather material for the uppers thereof.

5 The object of the invention is to provide an artificial leather material of novel, practical and useful qualities and characteristics for footwear uppers which will enable the footwear such as shoes and slippers to be constructed at low cost by the processes heretofore employed in the manufacture of leather footwear and of pleasing appearanceand high wearing qualities. 1 v

The nature and object of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: g I Fig. 1 is a' perspective view of an ordinary form of slipper.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view to illustrate the composition of the upper material.

A preferred form of material embodying the invention is particularly designed for use in the construction of uppers of light weight footwear such as slippers. Such a material is made up of four layers. First, a. fine. cotton fabric such 'as a sheeting of fine count. Second, a moleskin fabric presenting the usual teazeled face. Such a fabric 1n its teazeled face presents a'desirable lining or inner surface for a slipper and renders unnecessary a separate lining material such as commonly employed in slipper manufacture.

' This moleskin fabric gives the qualities of warmth and comfortheretofore attained, for example, by the use of a felt lining. Third,

a relatively-heavy body of cementitious rubher compound between the two above-mentioned layers, interpenetrating and uniting these layers. This third layer not onl serves to unite the two fabric layers into an mtegral sheet of material, but it gives a plasticity to the material which enables it in the operations of manufacturing the slipper or other iece of footwear to be molded snugly to the first and to be brought into conformity therewithwithout wrinkling. Any of the suitable cementitious rubber compounds heretofore employed in the manufacture of so-called double texture fabrics may be employed for this purpose, but the la er should be relatively heavy so as to give ody and plasticity to the sheet of material. .Fourth, a relatively various color and and plasticity, such,

light pyroxylin' coating on the fine cotton fabric. This coating forms the exterior surface of the sheet material and the exterior surface .of the upper/of the footwear. By using a line cotton fabric and a relatively thin layer of pyroxylin coating, the required flexibility of the sheet material is obtained withoutdanger of the pyroxylin coating cracking. This pyroxylin coating may be of the usual compositions employed in making artificial leather materials and may present any desired color and be embossed to present any desired grain effect so that the exterior surface of the sheet material is capable of being finished equally with leather to present the grain effects producible with leather.

v The sheet material made in accordance with this invention terial and is qualities.

between the successive needle penetrations and the stitches may be pulled tight to the extent required without injuring or weakening the material for the purpose of incorporation into the footwear. Third, it is finishable upon its exterior surface to present any desired colored and grain efi'ect equally with leather.

A further valuable characteristic of this material as above described lies in the fact that it eliminates the necessity of a separate lining material, its inner surface presenting the required lining surface. The teazeled surface of the mol'es'kin has the required feel for a slipper lining. Furthermore,

into the material ma be dyed to give any desired color to the nner or lining surface of the slipper. y

The material of this invention may also be made, Within the scope of the invention in its broader aspects, without the use of a moleskin fabric and by the use instead of any fabric suitable-to give the required strength for example, as a cotton drill. Such a material possesses all the other ualifications and characteristics hereinbeore set forth except that of presenting a this moleskin layer before beingincorporated lining surface and presents a desirable upper material for other forms of footwear such as shoes.

It is tobe understood that the term upply fabric material of the character herein disclosed for such uppers.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. An integral upper and lining sheet material for slippers characterized by the qualities, viz of being moldable to fit a last, stitchable without splitting and finishable on its exterior surface in any desired color and grain equally with leather and composed of four layers, viz: a fine cotton fabric, a moleskin fabric with its teazelcd face exposed to form the inner surface, a relatively heavy body of cementitious rubber compound between, interpenetrating and uniting the two fabrics, and a relatively light py'roxylin coating on the fine cotton fabric presenting the desired color and finish and exposed to form the exterior surface 2. A slipper having an integral upper and lining composed of the sheet material defined in claim 1.

3. An integral upper material for footwear characterized by the qualities, moldable to fit a last, stitchable without splitting and finishable on its exterior surface in any desired color and grain equally with leather andcomposed of four layers, viz: a fine cotton fabric, a backing fabric, a relatively heavy body of cementitious rubber compound between, interpenetrating and uniting the two fabrics, and a relatively light pyroxylin coating on the fine cotton fabric presenting the desired color and finish and exposed to form the exterior surface.

4. A piece of footwear having an upper composed of the sheet material defined in claim 3.

viz: of being In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM HENRY JENKS. 

